Emmerdale’s Isobel Steele: Asexuality storyline is important

Emmerdale’s Isobel Steele said she has had a tremendous response from viewers after her character revealed she was asexual.

Teenager Liv Flaherty recently told her friend Gabby that she was not attracted to any gender.

Actress Steele, 17, said the plot has touched viewers of the ITV soap and that it has been great to be part of a pioneering storyline.

“The feedback has been great,” she said.

“I’ve had a lot of people say to me how important it is that this is represented on screen for them.

“Not even for people who are asexual, just for people who don’t know and don’t know whether to label themselves or what to do, it’s nice to have someone who’s in an A or B category.”

Steele said it was great to be given a storyline that is not often seen on screen.

“I enjoyed doing something that had never been done before. I think it is the first time there’s been a soap asexuality storyline, I don’t think it’s been done before, which is important,” she said.

The actress said she did her research before tackling the plot.

She said: “They don’t want to be like, I’m gay or I’m straight, it’s a bit of a weird one where it’s like admitting to not knowing whether you’ve just not found someone you like or whether it’s a case of being asexual.

“It was important to consider what people were feeling.”

Upcoming scenes will see Liv confide in her brother Aaron Dingle.

Steele said it takes “a bit of goading” before Liv will open up as it is such a personal issue.

“Liv is very invested in Aaron’s love life but doesn’t like to talk about her own personal problems,” she said. “She doesn’t want to impact other people and she’s not sure either, nothing’s set in stone.”